CAMDEN — Camden’s first snowfall of the year, on Nov. 23, created the perfect atmosphere for Camden Garden Club members and helpers gathered early that morning at the American Legion Hall on Pearl Street to decorate 98 evergreen wreaths. A long-standing tradition, the wreaths adorn the town’s lampposts throughout the holiday season. 

It began in the 1970s, and Camden Garden Club covers the entire cost of not only the wreaths, but the ribbon for the bows the group makes by hand, and the strings of white lights that they painstakingly wire to the greenery a few days before Thanksgiving each year. 

It is hard work, but this team of volunteers has developed a system over the years and, in an amazingly short period, the beautifully decorated wreaths are lined up, stacked and ready to be transported into town. A few days before the town tucks in to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends, Camden Public Works crews go from lamppost to lamppost, 49 in total, and securely hang the wreaths in pairs, back-to-back.

If you’ve ever wondered who to thank for the decorative wreaths in Camden’s downtown, thank a Camden Garden Club member. The group does a lot year-round to beautify the town.

Camden Garden Club is a member of the Garden Club Federation of Maine and National Garden Clubs Inc.